


after all this time

by provisionl3



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Angst, Cute Kids, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Growing Up Together, Kidfic, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Neighbors, Pining, Slow Burn, Soulmates, Teenage Drama, cute as hell, may rot your teeth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:54:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29045682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/provisionl3/pseuds/provisionl3
Summary: what makes a person your soulmate? how do you know if something is meant to be? louis and harry have been attached at the hip since the day that they met, and everyone knew that there was something special about their bond. through summer holidays, puberty, embarrassing moments, bad haircuts, sexuality struggles, and family tragedies, they always have each other. growing up is hard, but having someone who understands makes it a whole lot better.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 12
Kudos: 31





	1. one

The ground was blanketed in a thick, pillowy layer of white snow when Louis woke up early one December morning. His small, chubby hands rubbed the sleep from his eyes as the bright sunlight reflected off of the snow and shone through his baby blue curtains. A wide smile spread across his cheeks as he shot out of bed, sprinting to Johanna's room across the hallway. She was already awake as her youngest daughter, Lottie, had awoken hours ago for her first feeding of the day. Louis' pajama clad feet padded across her wooden floor as he climbed up into her warm bed.

"Mummy! It snowed, it really snowed!" Louis squealed, wiggling his way into her arms and under her duvet. Johannah smiled softly and nodded, although she wanted to scold the child for being so noisy when she's just got his baby sister back to sleep. Louis squeezed his mother's arm tightly and looked up at her with his blue doe eyes.

"Please, Mummy, can we please play out in the snow?" Louis pleaded, his blonde hair falling in front of his attempted puppy dog eyes. It broke his mummy's heart to say no, but the five year old boy had school this morning and he would have to wait until afterwards to play in the snow.

"Lou, baby, you've got school soon. How about when you get home? If you're a good boy, you can go straight to the snow and I'll make cocoa after. How's that, love?" Johannah suggested and brushed the strand of hair out of Louis' eyes. His bottom lip wobbled and his eyes threatened tears, but the little boy stood from his mum's bed, running to his bedroom to get dressed. He threw open his drawers and dug for his uniform, a pair of khaki trousers and a navy blue jumper. First, his arms and then his head, Louis thought. Or was it head first, then arms? Louis shrugged and pulled the sweater over his head, struggled for a moment to get his arms through, and huffed when he finally had the jumper on properly. He continued to pull his trousers on, proudly managing to zip and button them all on his own.

Johannah walked into his bedroom, no longer holding baby Lottie. She beamed proudly at her oldest baby and couldn't believe that he was nearly six years old and already in year one. Louis turned around and smiled, holding a pair of thick wool socks and ready to head downstairs for breakfast.

"Look at you, big boy! You look so handsome!" Johannah gushed. Louis grinned and stood proudly with his hands on his hips. He thanked her, being sure to remind her that he got dressed in his uniform all on his own. She nodded and smiled brightly, taking his hand to lead him to the kitchen.

French toast sticks were no match for Louis, and he even used his fingers to clean all of the syrup from his plate. With sticky fingers held high and waiting to be wiped clean, he smiled up at his mum.

"I finished, mummy! I'm ready for school now!" Louis grinned as Johanna grabbed a warm, wet cloth to wipe his little fingers and cheeks. She smiled and nodded, patting his head.

"Almost, little one. Upstairs to brush your teeth and when you're all finished, I'll have your coat and shoes ready for you," Johanna said, earning a giggle from her little boy. He jumped up from his chair at the table and ran back up to the bathroom. His toothbrush was sitting in the same place he had left it at bedtime last night, so he grabbed it and began to brush the way he had been practicing. From downstairs, he heard a cry from Lottie and a coo from his mum. Louis loved having a baby sister even though there were lots of things he didn't understand about babies. They're so tiny, they cry all the time, they don't know anything and they smell funny. He was still learning to be a big brother, but at least he knew a lot more than a baby.

When Louis teetered downstairs, he found his mum sitting in the big, puffy rocking chair holding his crying baby sister. He walked over and looked up at Johannah with a confused expression.

"Mummy, what is she cryin' for? You're holdin' her right now," Louis asked, his eyebrow raised as he slowly raised his hand to poke at the baby's red, scrunched up face. Johannah intercepted the poke, shushing the young boy.

"Lou, gentle. She's just a baby and babies cry, remember? Now, your bus is gonna be here soon. Since you're such a big boy, do you think you could put your coat and shoes on by yourself? I can help you tie your boots and put on your mittens," Johannah said, nodding towards the entryway. Louis gave her a big nod and skipped off to find his cold weather gear.

Once the boy was bundled tightly and had plenty of cuddles from his mum, he was off to school on a bus full of his year one friends. All day, Louis could barely focus on his work. His eyes were glued to the window of his classroom where snow continued to fall. He thought about the snowman he was going to build and the hot cocoa he was going to drink with his mummy. The thoughts made it difficult to sit still in his seat! The day felt as if it dragged on for ages, but soon enough it was time for the little boy to ride the bus home.

Since he had been at school, the amount of snow had nearly doubled. His eyes were the size of dinner plates and his cheeks were red from the biting wind as he walked from the bus stop to his front door. Johannah was there waiting for him, opening the door and scooping him up to protect him from the cold.

"Mummy, it's time for the snow!" Louis chirped, his chattering teeth forming a huge grin. Laughing, his mum nodded and set him down.

"Go get out of your uniform first and I'll find your snow suit, then you can go play in the garden," Johannah replied as her son kicked off his boots and slithered out of his coat before he ran to his bedroom.

It took only fifteen minutes for Louis to be fully prepared for the snow. He was bundled up in layers upon layers of the warmest clothes he had. Johannah tugged a hat on his head and dry gloves over his fingers, sending him on his way. Louis darted to the back garden as quickly as he could, stopping in his tracks as he stared out over the white field of snow. Littered across the lawn were small snow angels, only connected by small footprints leading to the next one. He was confused at first, his eyebrows knitted together, until he saw a small figure. There stood another child in a colorful, puffy snowsuit with a pointed hood with a pom-pom on top. Louis watched as the small boy flopped backwards into the deep snow, giggling wildly as his arms and legs swished back and forth. Putting his hands on his hips, he frowned and stomped over to the smaller child.

"Excuse me," Louis huffed, "who are you?"

Looking up from his place in the snow, the little boy's green eyes glistened in the afternoon sunlight. His nose was red from the cold and he licked a few snowflakes from his chin, which had once been covered by a pink scarf. He had round cheeks and a blonde lock had escaped from his hood and swooped onto his forehead.

"Harry," he said, matter-of-factly. Louis frowns and Harry continues working on what had to have been his 50th snow angel.

"But, you are in my garden, Harry," Louis said, looking around at the familiar area. He hadn't traveled into the wrong garden, it was his. Harry frowned and tried to stand up, his multiple bulky layers making it difficult to get off of the snowy ground. Struggling to his feet, the wobbly little boy shrugged.

"Mumma said Harry could play out in the snow. She said Harry could make angels until tea," Harry explained, his arms sticking out to his sides due to the amount of snow clothes he was wearing. Louis huffed once again, stomping his boot.

"You stepped in all of my snow! My mummy said I could play in this snow!" Louis whined, pointing to all of the tiny welly footprints and angels Harry had left. Harry's tiny blue-tinted bottom lip jutted out and wobbled before giving way to a loud wail. He turned on the heel of his yellow duck wellies and started to run towards the house next door. His run was more like a slow toddle. The little boy was struggling to run through the deep snow in all of his woolen and puffy layers. Wails continued as he made it only halfway to the next house before tripping on his own foot, landing face down in the cold snow.

Louis watched with big eyes as a snow-muffled scream came from the little boy. He ran over, grabbing him by the back of his coat and pulling him up. Harry's green eyes were squeezed shut and the big tears that rolled down his cheeks melted tracks through the layer of snowflakes that blanketed his face. Louis panicked, not wanting to get in trouble as the boy sobbed for his mumma.

"Harry, 's okay, don't cry... I can wipe off your face... You can play in my snow too!" Louis blabbered, using his own glove to wipe some of the snow from Harry's tiny, frozen face. Harry brought his mittened hands up to his eyes and rubbed the tears from them. He looked up at Louis, who was a head taller than him, and sniffled.

"O-Okay... What's your name? I-I'm Harry, I'm this many," Harry hiccupped, once again holding up a mittened hand as if Louis could see the three fingers he was showing off. Louis giggled at him.

"My name is Louis, and I can't see your fingers," Louis laughed and wiped Harry's face again. The little boy's teeth were chattering as he stood, struggling to pull off his mitten to show Louis his fingers. He held up three of his little shivering fingers once more and Louis nodded, frowning slightly. Louis grabbed Harry's mitten and pulled it back on his hand.

"You're little, Harry. Why are you all by yourself?" Louis asked as Harry shrugged.

"Mumma said Harry and Gemmy could play outside with Gemmy's friend Livi. They don't want to play with Harry," Harry whimpered, pointing to the front garden of the house next door. Two girls, who looked older than Louis, stood there making a snowman. As he looked at the girls, Harry's eyes began to fill with tears once more. His lip trembled and he started to cry loudly.

"Don't be sad, Harry... I will play with you, just don't cry, okay?" Louis sighed and patted the younger boy's hooded head, giggling when the pom-pom shook. Harry screamed in response, startling Louis. The older boy's blue eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as the girls around front became aware of the situation. A distant yell came from a voice that had to belong to Harry's sister.

"Mum! Harry's crying!"

Louis began to panic, not wanting to get in trouble for making little Harry upset. He straightened the little boy's hood and wrapped his pink scarf tightly around him once again, cooing to him like he was used to doing for Lottie. Harry carried on his wailing, his green eyes not leaving Louis once.

Within seconds, a woman with dark hair came running out to the yard to find the source of all of the noise. Louis' own mummy had been alerted by the screaming, coming out to see what was the matter. The woman with dark hair was not dressed for the weather, wearing only a pair of leggings and her coat as adrenaline kept her warm. Johannah came out in boots and a long coat, toting a wrapped up baby in her arms.

Harry's tiny mittens reached up to the dark haired woman, who Louis assumed must have been Harry's mumma. She scooped him up and hugged him tightly.

"Oh, poppet... What are these silly tears for, love?" She sighed in relief, seeing that the boy was not hurt. Louis looked up at the women with big eyes.

"He fell in the snow, and then he was sad because the girls didn't wanna play with him! I didn't hurt him or nothin', mummy! Promise! I even said he could play with me!" Louis stammered, looking up to Harry. Harry looked down at him and nodded before cuddling up to his mum once more. Johannah laughed softly, grabbing Louis' hand.

"I believe you, Boo... I'm sure Harry is just tired and cold. Ms. Anne is probably taking him in for a nap now, anyways. That was very kind to offer to play... Let's let him go in and rest." Johannah said. She shot Anne a smile and Anne returned the gesture, bouncing the little boy in his arms. Louis' face instantly dropped.

"But I want to make a snowman with little Harry..." Louis whined, crossing his arms. Harry sniffled and looked down at Louis, his puffy eyes glittering.

"A 'nowman? Harry want a 'nowman!" He said, wiggling to get out of his mumma's arms. She tightened her grip and shook her head.

"It's a certain little one's nap time. No snowmen today, I'm afraid," Anne laughed sadly and quickly added, "but now that it's winter holiday, you two little neighbors can play in the snow first thing tomorrow, okay?"

Louis nodded rapidly and grinned as Anne turned to carry Harry inside, his green eyes peering over her shoulder. A tiny mittened hand peeked out, waving to Louis as he got further away. Johannah smiled and led Louis back into their own kitchen, rushing to get Lottie back into the warmth.


	2. two

The next morning could not come quick enough, and Louis was up with the sun. He peered out of his window to see a new layer of snow on the ground and flakes slowly drifting down from the sky. A giddy giggle escaped his lips as he ran out from his bedroom to find his mummy. He could hear a familiar sizzle and smell the bacon cooking on the hob downstairs. Tapping on the wooden stairs alerted Johannah that her oldest baby was awake and ready to roll. Louis ran up behind her, embracing her legs in a tight hug.

“Mummy, the snow! Me and Harry are gonna make a snowman!” Louis cried, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he grinned. Johannah giggled and nodded. She reached down with her free hand to smooth out his bed head. His hair stuck up every which way, giving him the most innocent look as he stared up at her with excited and loving eyes. She turned back to the bacon she was frying and hummed to her son,

“You’ll have so much fun, lovey, but we’ve got to have a good breakfast first. Go sit, it’s nearly done.”

Louis ran to the kitchen table and pulled out his chair to climb into it. He waited patiently as his mum plated his breakfast. A glass of orange juice, two strips of bacon, and a small pancake sat in front of him as his mum sat across from him. She began to nurse Lottie as Louis destroyed his breakfast. As a growing boy, he had to eat and the syrup was just a plus. He blabbered to his mum, spewing words between every sticky bite. Johannah was surprised he even had any time to chew between sentences. Once his plate was empty and he had finished his juice, he was bouncing out of his seat.

“Don’t worry, mummy. I know where my snowsuit is. I can do it on my own,” boasted the young boy, his hands on his hips as he strutted to the laundry room where his snowsuit had been hung to dry the evening before. He stood up on his tip-toes to reach the navy blue garment from the drying rack and tugged it down. Sitting on the tile, he began to pull it over his legs and put his arms through the sleeves. It fit a bit snugly as he was growing taller daily, but it would do just fine for the rest of the snowy season. He tugged the zipper up to his chin with his tongue poking from the corner of his mouth in concentration. Finally, he got the zipper to its destination and stood, running back to the kitchen to show his mum.

“See, I did it! Can I go play now?” Louis panted, poking his mum from behind as she washed dishes.

“Yes, Lou, but only after you’ve got your scarf, gloves, hat, and boots on,” Johannah responded softly, glancing at him with a warm smile. He nodded rapidly as he went to finish getting bundled. A green scarf was wrapped tightly around his neck, a blue hat with a bauble on top was pulled over his still messy hair, gloves covered his fingers, and his boots were pulled onto his feet. Pulling up his hood, he was ready to build the perfect snowman. Only one thing was missing: A carrot nose!

Louis raided the refrigerator, digging through drawers and finding lots of different foods. Hot dogs, lettuce, and slices of cheese, but none of those could act as a nose for him and Harry’s snowman. Finally, hidden in a plastic baggie, he found a carrot in one of the drawers.

Sliding the carrot into the pocket of his snowsuit, Louis called out to his mummy that he was going out to the back garden. She hollered a response, letting him know to be back for lunch time. When he opened the front door, the sunlight was bright and reflecting off of the freshly fallen snow. He squinted his eyes and walked out. To his surprise, there were no tiny footprints to be seen. There were no snow angels, either. Harry hadn’t been out this morning. Louis frowned and started to walk to the house next door where he had seen Ms. Anne take Harry yesterday. She said they were neighbors, and he had learned that word at school; Harry must live there. Louis nodded to himself, proud of his use of his new vocabulary word, and started to walk on the sidewalk that led to Harry’s.

The house was made of dark red bricks and had white shutters around the windows. There was a big white fence surrounding what must have been their back garden, and bushes lined the pavement that led to the front door. Louis walked up the unshoveled sidewalk and knocked on the door a few times. Behind the door he heard shuffling and a TV playing a familiar children’s show. A few seconds passed before the door swung open, revealing Ms. Anne, who was toting an obviously sleepy Harry in her arms. Harry’s eyes were nearly closed as he rested his head on his mum’s shoulder and he was dressed in a set of yellow duck jammies. His blonde hair resembled Louis’ own bedhead, sticking out every which way. The littler boy’s green eyes opened a bit wider when he saw Louis and a smile spread across his chubby cheeks. Ms. Anne grinned and laughed a little, stepping aside to let little Louis inside.

“Good morning, darling… Come on in, it’s quite cold out there,” Anne said, using a soft hand to guide Louis through the door. Louis stepped inside and wiped his boots on the mat. His cheeks were pink from the cold wind and he smiled politely.

“Good morning, Ms. Anne. I was coming to see if Harry wanted to come out to play,” Louis said, wiping a stray wisp of hair from his forehead. Anne smiled softly and nodded as she led Louis to the living room. Harry wiggled from her arms as he was suddenly way more awake. He had nearly forgotten that he got to build a snowman with Louis this morning! He was only three and three quarters, so his mumma never let him play outside without her or his sister there to watch. He grabbed Louis’ gloved hand and grinned.

“Outside, mumma!” Harry cheered.

Anne shook her head and smiled.

“Not quite yet, darling. I know a little poppet who needs to bundle up first,” she replied, coming to scoop him up and get him changed from his pajamas. Harry giggled and watched Louis over his mum’s shoulder. Within five minutes, Anne was back with a puffy, rainbow colored version of the little boy and Louis couldn’t help but grin. The little boy teetered over to Louis and grabbed his hand once more, pulling him to the front door. Anne called from behind, telling the boys to be safe, but the warning was barely heard as they headed out to the snow.

Harry was in charge of rolling the smallest snowball to make the head, while the older boy was tasked with making the two larger balls for the body. Grunting could be heard from Harry as he struggled to get started. He looked to Louis with a pout on his lips. Louis was already pushing a ball that was half of Harry’s height when he looked to see his friend sitting on his cushioned bum in the middle of the yard. Louis giggled and shouted to him.

“Harry, where’s your snowball?” Louis laughed, pushing the snowman’s body towards him. Harry attempted to cross his arms and huffed.

“Harry can’t make it.”   
Louis laughed once more and stopped his work to help Harry. His gloved fingers dug into the deep snow and grabbed a handful. He cupped his hands together, creating a tiny ball and then tossing it to the ground. Slowly, he began to push the ball through the snow and it surely began to gain mass.

“Just like that, Harry. You just gotta push it!” Louis explained. Harry giggled wildly and nodded as he struggled to stand from his snowy seat. Once on his welly-clad feet, Harry mimicked Louis’ movement and the snowball began to grow once more. This earned a gleeful and excited squeal from the toddler and he continued on his path. Louis continued his work as well, only his snowballs doubled and tripled in size way faster than little Harry’s. Maybe it was because he had done this a bunch of times, Louis thought, or maybe it was because Harry had little legs and took little steps. Either way, Louis finished quite a bit earlier than Harry.

While Harry finished crafting the head of their snowman, Louis took to construction. Carefully lining up the biggest and the medium sized snowballs, Louis pushed the middle piece of the creation up the side of the base. He gave the big snowball a push and, within seconds, they had a snowman that was twice the height of the younger boy. Harry waddled up beside Louis pushing a snowball that was getting harder and harder to roll.

“Harry’s all done, Louis!” Harry beamed, his breathing heavy from the strenuous work. Louis grinned and picked up the ball, which happened to be the perfect size. He grunted and hoisted the head of their snowman to its place. Stepping back to admire their creation, Louis took Harry’s hand to show him.

“See, Harry? Now what do you think he needs?” Louis looked down to the little boy beside him, fiddling with the carrot he had placed in his pocket back at home. Harry’s tiny mittened hand rose to his chin as if he was deep in thought. He hummed and knitted his eyebrows together for a few seconds before shrugging. Louis giggled and pulled out the carrot, waving it in the air.

“His face, silly Harry! We need to find some pebbles for his eyes and his smile,” Louis giggled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Harry nodded rapidly and giggled in response.

“Silly Harry!” Harry howled in laughter as he waddled to find a few pebbles from his mumma’s decorative garden. Louis followed close behind, laughing as well. Turns out, little Harry was very selective when it came to the eyes of his snowman. Anne’s rock garden was full of multiple colors of stones and marbles and that was a big choice for such a little boy. Louis helped him pick 9 black stones to serve as the snowman’s mouth while Harry searched through rainbows of glass marbles. After a few minutes of searching, Harry held up two blue glass marbles and showed them to Louis.

“Harry found it! ‘Nowman eyes!” Harry boasted, his mittens soaked through with snow. Louis smiled and nodded as he grabbed the little boy’s empty hand to lead him back to their creation. Being the taller boy meant that Louis was in charge of decorating the snowman, and Harry watched in awe as his friend placed the final blue marble. Harry gasped and stared up at the snowman as Louis stuck two random branches in the sides of the snowman’s mid-section for arms.

“Ta-da! He’s done!” Louis sang. Harry jumped up and down in glee, his hands clapping as he broke out in a fit of cheers and tiny ‘hoorays.’ He was so excited, he had never made a snowman before! Harry wobbled closer to Louis and hugged him tightly as he squealed,

“Thank you for helping Harry!”

Louis grinned and hugged him back. He didn’t care that Harry was so little, Harry was his best friend. Pulling back from the hug, Harry pulled his tiny mittens from his freezing hands and slipped them onto the ends of the snowman’s twiggy arms before declaring, “All done!” 

The two boys stood back to admire their work when they could hear Johannah calling from their front door. Unbeknownst to the little boys, their mothers had conversed and agreed that they should have lunch and hot cocoa at Louis’.

“Boys, lunch is ready!”

Hungry and cold, the little ones raced up to the warm stoop where Louis’ mummy stood. Their tummies were rumbling as Louis knelt to help Harry strip his snow clothes at the front door. At the table, the new best friends sat and relayed their snowy adventure to Johannah who couldn't stop grinning. She knew that day was the beginning of something wonderful.


	3. three

Only a week after meeting, the boys had already become inseparable. Nearly all seven days had been spent attached at the hip. Louis was getting the big brother gig down pat and he had definitely been practicing on little Harry. Although with Louis’ school friends, his attitude caused little spats here and there, there was never a problem with Harry. What Louis said, Harry listened to and followed as scripture. Besides, Louis knew everything, according to Harry. 

The Saturday before Christmas was a big day for both of the boys. Not only was Christmas coming up, but it was the day of Louis’ sixth birthday party. His mummy snuck into his room before the sun rose, expertly tying what seemed like hundreds of balloons to the bed frame while her big boy slept quietly. When his crystal blue eyes fluttered open with the rising sun, he was in for a big surprise. Not only was his room full of rainbow balloons but he also found a tall gift bag sitting on the top of his chest of drawers. He jumped out of his bed and walked to the bag. His clumsy footsteps alerted his mummy that he had awoken and she came up to the room. 

Johannah pushed the door open gently and smiled widely. She was quite emotional that her biggest babe was growing up so quickly. Her eyes were flooded with tears as she walked in.

“Good morning, big boy! Happy birthday!” She cooed, crouching down to sit next to him. He looked over at her with a big, toothy smile as he held up the gift. His eyes were pleading with her to let him open his birthday morning present. This was a tradition that they had had for nearly every year Louis had been alive. They always celebrated a few days early so that Louis could have his birthday party. In the morning, he was allowed to open one gift, which usually included a toy of some sort and a birthday outfit. His mummy giggled and nodded, slyly wiping a tear from her eye.

Louis tore the tissue paper from the shiny blue bag and stuck his arm into it to reach the contents. He pulled out a black t-shirt that said ‘my birthday is roar-some’ across the front with a t-rex on it and a new pair of grey jogger bottoms. His grin was wide and he giggled wildly, just barely able to read the shirt. He was still learning, but he got the point pretty quickly. Next, he pulled out a brand new black and white football, just like the one the football players on TV used. His eyes widened and he looked up to his mummy in surprise.

“Mummy! A real life football?!” He gasped dramatically, earning a chuckle from Johannah. She nodded and smiled.

“Do you love it?” She asked as he attacked her with a gigantic cuddle. Louis just squealed a million little ‘thank you’s and squeezed her tightly. She laughed and peppered the little boy’s face with kisses. 

“Just no kicking it in the house, alright? I don’t want my house to be destroyed by a little footie player,” she joked as she tickled him, earning giggles and shouts from the boy. He nodded and laughed as Johannah stood up from the floor and balanced him on her hip.

“Now, my love, it’s time for someone’s special birthday breakfast… And, I think you may have some guests on their way,” Johannah smiled and ruffled Louis’ already crazy bed head. He cocked his head, puzzled. She giggled and set him back on his feet before leading him downstairs. The two entered the kitchen and Louis got situated at his seat at the kitchen table. The chair had red, yellow, and blue balloons tied to it and it made Louis smile wide, his eyes crinkling up at the edges. Mummy went to get Lottie, who had started crying out for attention. Louis was getting used to a baby in the house and didn’t mind sharing his mummy with the little one. As his mummy got Lottie settled, there was a knock at the front door. It was nearing nine now and Louis hummed as he wondered to himself who could be at the door. He stood from his seat and walked to the front door to peek through the glass. He couldn’t answer it, of course, because he was still in his Power Range pajamas. He hollered out to his mummy that they had company as he pulled the curtains aside in order to see out of the glass. He was met with the big, green eyes of his best friend, little Harry.

He jumped to unlock the door and open it quickly. Harry stood in front of him dressed in a Lion King jogger suit. His blonde hair was brushed nicely and he was smiling brightly as he clutched several gift bags in his tiny hands. Behind him stood Ms. Anne, who grinned down at Louis.

“Happy birthday, Lou!” Anne greeted him, causing Harry to pout and glare up at his mumma. 

“Harry was ‘posed to say it, mumma!” He whined, crossing his arms tightly across his chest. Louis giggled a little and shook his head. 

“You can say it too, poppet!” Louis grinned, opening his arms for a hug from his best friend. The nickname had been stolen from Ms. Anne, who called her youngest babe that since the day he was born. Louis had picked up on it fairly quickly, and probably would’ve assumed it was the younger boy’s name if he hadn’t known better. Harry squealed and ran into Louis’ arms, squeezing him tightly.

“Lou’s birthday!” Harry howled in laughter, his face buried in Louis’ jammie top. Louis hugged the little boy tightly and giggled. 

“What are you doing here, poppet? I haven’t even eaten breakfast yet!” He exclaimed as Johannah came back to the kitchen with Lottie in her arms. Johannah greeted Anne and smiled at the boys. 

“Well, we figured that Harry would enjoy some special pancakes for your birthday before your school friends came for your sleepover. What do you think about that?” Johannah offered as she maneuvered Lottie into a baby wrap, which Louis always called his mummy’s ‘kangaroo pouch’. Louis frowned a little in response.

“But mummy, Harry isn’t coming to my sleepover?” Louis asked as a clueless little Harry set the gift bags near the door, sitting on his padded bum on the kitchen floor to remove his velcro trainers. Johannah and Anne traded glances and Johannah sighed. 

“Boo, Harry is still pretty little… I don’t know if he would like a sleepover with you and your big boy friends,” Johannah explained softly as she attempted to flatten his bed head once more. Louis shook his head wildly and crossed his arms. Harry waddled back over, now interested in the conversation.

“Mumma, Harry s’eepover?” Harry asked, his eyebrow raised as he grabbed a hold of Louis’ sleeve. Louis pulled him into his side, wrapping his arm around the shorter boy’s shoulder. He looked up at the women with his best puppy dog eyes and his bottom lip jutting out. The women sighed and looked at each other before eventually cracking.

“Okay, Boo, we’ll try it,” Johannah sighed, a soft smile on her face. Louis grinned and squealed, causing little Harry to join him. The boys jumped up and down happily as their mums went to cook Johannah’s traditional birthday pancakes. The recipe was pretty easy. Just adding rainbow sprinkles to normal pancake batter made them seem a lot more special. Louis led Harry to the kitchen table, patting the chair next to his highly decorated one. Harry grunted as he climbed up the chair and plopped down. The edge of the table was directly at his eye level. Harry huffed and this made Louis laugh. Louis giggled wildly as he sat in his own chair.

“Poppet, can you see? You’re so little! I think mummy has a booster if you want to sit higher,” Louis giggled, making the grumpy little boy giggle in response. He shook his head and giggled, sitting on his socked feet.

“Harry can see. Harry big boy, Boo!” Harry giggled, looking over at his best friend. Louis nodded and smiled as he patted the little boy’s head gently. The boys babbled to each other about everything from Saturday morning cartoons to the dreams they had the night before. Their conversation was interrupted by Johannah and Anne carrying two plates of pancakes. One stack had a lit candle poked into the top that was shaped like the number six. The other had a dollop of whipped cream right in the center of the single pancake. Harry’s eyes grew wide and he licked his lips, Louis only giggling because he knew what came next.

The familiar melody of happy birthday rang out through the kitchen. Johannah and Anne sang as Harry clapped along off-beat. He sang the loudest when it was time to sing Louis’ name and squealed as the candles were blown out. Louis grinned and looked over at Harry after blowing out the tiny flame. 

“Harry, do you wanna know what I wished for?” Louis said, covering his mouth to hide his statement from their parents, although he wasn’t quite whispering. Harry nodded wildly, his mouth already full of pancakes and whipped cream.

“I wished that we would be best friends forever,” Louis said matter-of-factly. He sat back in his chair and smiled smugly as his mummy piled the whipped cream onto his pancakes. This was already the best birthday ever. Harry demolished the plate of his breakfast quicker than Louis had ever seen anyone eat before. He was only halfway through his plate when Harry’s little, sticky fingers reached over to steal a bite.

Breakfast ended soon enough and the boys were off to play with Louis’ toys. They had only a few hours to themselves before the rest of the party attendees would show up, so they had to make the most of their time alone. Harry was still pretty little so he enjoyed more gentle and quiet play where Louis and his school friends were in a stage where roughhousing and rowdiness were the most fun. Harry liked trucks, stuffed animals, and baby dolls, and Louis and the big boys preferred footie and wrestling. But, when he was with Harry, Louis didn’t mind playing with blocks and plushies. The two loved to play pretend, drifting into their own little world.

“Harry wants to be the mumma, Boo. You be the daddy,” Harry said, cradling a stuffed puppy like it was a baby. Louis giggled, petting the puppy’s head softly.

“We can both be daddies, poppet,” Louis reminded him but Harry shook his head. 

“No, I’m mumma,” Harry insisted. Louis laughed and nodded in response. He handed little Harry a baby doll to replace the puppy. Harry crawled over to Louis and weaseled himself into his lap, rocking the baby back and forth. If it were a real baby, it probably would’ve had brain trauma from the violent rocking. Louis grinned and wrapped his arms around Harry, slowing the motion of his arms. He knew how to properly rock a baby and Harry had always been the baby of his family, so it was his job to teach him. The boys babbled back and forth for a few moments before Harry shushed Louis.

“Boo… Baby s’eeping. Quiet,” Harry warned with a tiny finger to his pursed lips. Louis nodded and mimicked the little boy’s gesture. 

The boys’ mums had been conversing over tea when Anne realized it was Harry’s nap time. She figured he would need a nap to enjoy the rest of Louis’ birthday festivities, plus he needed to pack an overnight bag if he planned to stay the night. The thought of her youngest pup sleeping away was nerve-wracking to Anne, but she knew he would be in good hands with the Tomlinsons. The two women headed to the room where Louis and Harry were playing to find Louis leaned back against the sofa with a sleepy Harry in his lap, his arms wrapped tightly around the older boy’s neck. Anne and Johannah couldn’t help themselves but snap several photos before getting Louis’ attention.

“Hi, lovey… Did Harry fall asleep?” Johannah smiled, sitting on the sofa. Louis nodded and rubbed the sleeping boy’s back like he had seen his mummy do for Lottie. She nodded and smiled.

“Ms. Anne is gonna take him home for his nap and to pack his things for your sleepover tonight, okay? He’ll be back soon.”

Louis nodded and handed his best friend off to his mumma, stretching out slightly. Johannah laughed as her son yawned.

“Maybe the birthday boy should take a quick nap as well.”


	4. four

Louis’ nap only lasted about 45 minutes before his friends started to arrive. Johannah gently shook the little boy awake, his eyes fluttering open. He groaned and stretched as his mummy smoothed his hair.

“Louis, love, Stan and Liam are here. You’ve got to get up so you can go play,” Johannah cooed. Louis didn’t need anymore convincing. He sprung up off the sofa and bolted to the front door where his friends stood. He greeted them with a huge grin as they hugged him and exclaimed their birthday wishes. Louis basked in the attention for a moment before they ran off to play.

“I got a new football for my birthday. We should play!” Louis suggested, grabbing the ball from the toy bin. His buddies nodded and they went to ask Johannah if they could play in the back garden. The snow from earlier in the week had mostly melted but it was still quite chilly outside, so Johannah allowed it as long as they all were wearing their coats. The group of boys filed to the back garden as Zayn and Niall arrived as well. Soon, a big group of rowdy six year olds were having a heated footie match in the wet grass of their garden. Their hoots and hollers could be heard from the kitchen, earning a grin from Louis’ mummy. Bickering and laughter filled the air as Johannah heard a knock on her front door once more. The only party guest who had not arrived was little Harry. Johannah stepped away from her place at the sink to open the door.

On the welcome mat stood Harry, excitedly clutching his Winnie the Pooh rucksack as he bounced on his toes. Johannah grinned and kneeled down to his level. Harry smiled and waved before his eyes widened at the sight of Lottie, who was still wrapped close to Johannah’s chest.

“Hi… You have a baby? A real baby?” Harry gasped, his tiny hand slowly reaching out to touch the soft hair on baby Lottie’s head. He was gentle as he stroked her head, an amazed smile on his face. Johannah giggled and nodded.

“Yes, Harry, that’s baby Charlotte… You’re so gentle,” Johannah smiled and took his hand. She looked up Anne. Harry’s mumma was obviously nervous, but Johannah gave her a reassuring glance. 

“Anne, don’t you worry. I’ll keep my eye on him and I’ll call you if anything happens, okay?” She assured Anne, holding Harry’s hand as he continued ogling over the baby. Anne nodded and forced a nervous smile as Johannah stood from her place on the floor. Kneeling in front of her son, Anne pulled him into a tight hug.

“Poppet, you be a good boy tonight, okay? If you need anything, Johannah will call me and I’ll be right here,” Anne cooed into the boy’s blonde hair and Harry nodded, hugging her back. She pulled away and kissed his forehead before leaving Harry at the party.

Johannah smiled down at the toddler and led him to the living room. She unwrapped the baby sling and put Lottie in a bouncer that sat on the floor in front of the sofa. Harry plopped down next to it. He was totally interested in the baby as his favorite toys at home were his sister’s baby dolls. He sat in awe, playing with baby Lottie’s fingers and glancing up at Johannah.

“Mumma Jay… Harry likes the baby,” Harry giggled, using the nickname he had given her. She nodded and smiled softly.

“I know, Harry. The baby is going down for a nap, how about you go play with Lou and the other boys? I’ll take you to the back garden,” Johannah offered, taking his hand once more. Harry hesitated for a moment with his eyes fixed on Lottie before he stood and walked with Mumma Jay to the back door. Through the glass, the little boy could see the chaos that ensued outside. There was hollering and whining and laughing, all which was a bit scary to the toddler. Jay gave him a reassuring smile as she opened the door. The creaking of the door went unheard by the children who were covered in grass and mud stains. Louis noticed after a minute, his eyes lit up and a grin spread across his cheeks. He left the game abruptly which earned him a few ‘c’mon’s and groans. Wiping the mud from his hands, he ran up to Harry. 

“Poppet! You came back! Do you want to play footie?” Louis grabbed ahold of Harry’s hand before he could answer. Jay took Harry’s rucksack to put away and gave Louis a serious look.

“Boo, you boys be nice to Harry, got it?” She warned, one eyebrow raised. Louis nodded wildly as he led his best friend to the makeshift pitch. Harry had never played football before and he wasn’t sure exactly what it entailed but he was pretty nervous. He saw the older boys in a pile on the grass and heard their banter, really hoping that wasn’t a part of their game. Louis grabbed the ball from outside of the tangle.

“Here, Poppet. I’ll kick it to you and you kick it back, okay?” Louis explained, setting the ball on the grass in front of him. Harry nodded and waited, Louis kicking the ball gently in his direction. It rolled to a stop directly in front of the little boy. Erupting in giggles, Harry kicked it back. The ball barely made it halfway to Louis, but the older boy clapped and praised his best friend as if he had just kicked a winning goal. Harry beamed and clapped as well, catching the attention of the older boys. They were panting and pointing fingers at each other as they declared who was cheating and who wasn’t. A taller boy with straight brown hair walked over to where Louis was preparing to kick the ball to Harry once again. The rest of the boys followed suit. Two other brown haired boys, one with black hair, and one with strawberry blonde hair strutted over and Harry looked up at them, confused. He had never met these boys before and they were way bigger than him. Nervously he waddled to Louis, hiding behind his legs. 

“Who’s that?” The first boy asked. The others nodded, the one with black hair adding quickly, 

“He’s a baby. Did you invite him?” 

Louis frowned and wrapped an arm around Harry. 

“Guys, this is Harry. He’s my bestest friend, and he is not a baby, Zayn,” Louis huffed, narrowing his eyes at the black-haired boy who Harry figured must be Zayn. The shortest boy with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes peeked around Louis to see Harry.

“Hi, Harry. I’m Niall,” He introduced himself warmly. Niall was a sweetheart and he never failed to make friends with everyone he met. The other brown-haired boy took Niall’s lead, introducing himself as well.

“I’m Liam,” he said, reaching down to pick up the football. Harry peeked out from behind Louis and waved shyly. Louis turned to Harry and pointed to the other two boys. 

“Poppet, that’s Zayn and that’s Stan. They’re my friends from school,” Louis whispered, one hand on Harry’s shoulder. Harry nodded once and hid behind Louis once again. Liam bounced the football on his knee and looked around. 

“Wanna play another match? The first team to ten wins!” He suggested. The boys cheered in response, running to the middle of the garden. Harry looked up at Louis with big eyes and his lip sticking out. 

“Don’t worry, Harry. Just kick the ball like you did a minute ago, okay? We can be on the same team and I’ll help you,” Louis said, hugging Harry before leading him out to the game. The other boys were attempting to select team captains. 

“Louis should be a team captain since it’s his birthday! And I should be one because I’m oldest!” Stan hollered. He tried to take the ball from Liam, who took it back. 

“I’m always the team captain,” Liam said, “Plus, actually, I'm the oldest!”

Stan huffed as the process of picking teams began. Harry had no idea how this worked, so he stuck to Louis’ side. Louis led him to the fence where Niall, Zayn, and Stan stood. 

“You stand right here, Harry. Then when I call your name, you come to stand with me, okay?” Louis explained, positioning him next to Niall. Harry only nodded. Niall looked to Harry and smiled at him, his crooked baby teeth shining at him. 

“D’ya like footie, Harry? I love it,” Niall asked and leaned back against the fence. Harry shrugged. 

“Harry never played… Harry likes babies…” Harry responded shyly. Niall nodded and giggled. Louis and Liam stood in front of them and began to pick their teams. A game of Rock, Paper, Scissors decided that Liam would have the first pick. Liam looked down the line.

“I pick Zayn!” He said, pointing at the black-haired boy. Zayn ran over to give Liam a high five. Louis looked at Harry and winked cheekily. 

“Harry’s on my team,” Louis said, earning a grin from the little boy who waddled to him instantly. Liam went on to pick Stan, leaving Niall to be on Louis’ team. After the teams were settled, the game began. A confused Harry stood in the middle of the yard watching as Louis ran. He waddled behind him, the ball flying in directions he couldn’t even follow. The ball finally rolled up in front of him, so he did as Louis had taught him to. He kicked the ball towards Louis, who grinned and ran to the ball. Louis kicked it into the imaginary goal, jumping up and down.

“Yes! Goal!” He laughed, running to Harry for a high-five. Harry giggled wildly as Niall approached as well. Harry was beaming as he was praised by his teammates, even though he had no clue what he had done.

The game continued with much less luck for Harry. He was actually having a bit of fun, running back and forth but barely coming in contact with the ball. His breathing was heavy and he was sweating under his coat, but he was enjoying himself nonetheless. Harry ran to Louis, who was standing with his hands on his head to catch his breath. Stan had called a time-out to tie his trainer’s laces so they had a moment to rest. Louis smiled at Harry and giggled.

“You havin’ fun, Poppet?” Louis asked, pulling down the little boy’s hood. Harry nodded rapidly in response. Before the older boy could even blink an eye, he heard Stan shout a quick ‘head’s up!’. The next thing he knew, Harry had caught a football to the back of his head. The force wasn’t excessive but it was just enough to make Harry tumble to the grass. A wail rippled across the back garden and within seconds, all of the boys scrambled to Harry’s side. Louis knelt to the ground and grabbed the sleeves of Harry’s coat, pulling him close to his chest. He rubbed the back of Harry’s head and frowned.

“Oh no, Poppet… You’re okay, just a bonk on the noggin… Don’t cry, okay?” Louis hummed, feeling the goose egg that was forming. Behind Louis, the other boys were arguing about who kicked the foul ball. 

“It was Stan, I seen it!” Liam said with a finger pointed straight at Stan. Stan crossed his arms and frowned. 

“No way, it was not me! It was probably you!” retorted Stan.

“It wasn’t me, I was by our goal. Was it Zayn?” Niall said, nervously chewing the sleeve of his coat. Zayn only shook his head and pointed at Stan. Harry continued to cry into Louis’ chest as the older boy attempted to comfort him. No matter who kicked the ball, they were all going to get told off if Louis’ mummy found out. 

“Harry ow!” Harry cried as Louis pet the back of his hair. Louis pulled away from the hug and used his sleeve to wipe Harry’s eyes. Harry sniffled and stared at Louis with big eyes, hiccupping and whimpering as the older boy tried to comfort him. 

“Don’t cry, Harry… How about I go get a baby and you can sit on a chair on the patio instead? Will that make you feel better?” Louis offered. Harry’s sobs stopped and he nodded once. All of the boys sighed in relief as Louis rushed in through the back door to grab a baby doll from the toy bin. When he reappeared, he handed the baby to Harry and smiled. 

“All better?” He asked hopefully. Harry smiled a tiny bit and nodded, wobbling off to a chair that was facing the yard. He continued to sniffle and rub the back of his head as he cradled the baby doll in his other arm. The little boy may have been able to stop crying, but his head really hurt. Stan was in a pee-wee football league and he had quite the kick. It took nearly twenty minutes for the game to end and as it did, the boys ran over to check on Harry.

“You okay, little Harry?” Niall asked sympathetically. Harry nodded slightly and rocked the baby in his arms. Standing on his toes, Niall examined the doll. It had fair skin and bright blue eyes and was wearing a pair of purple overalls. He smiled at the little boy in the chair. “Your baby is cute… Sorry Stan hurt your head.”

Harry smiled at the doll and scrunched up his nose, repeating the word ‘cute’ under his breath before looking back at Niall.

“Harry all better…” He assured the strawberry blonde boy. Niall nodded and shot Harry a thumbs up as Johannah stuck her head out of the door. It was time for dinner and the pizza had just been delivered. The older boys dashed through the door. Their intense footie match had left them famished and they couldn’t wait to stuff their faces. Harry fell behind, toting the doll over his shoulder as he entered. Johannah smiled and shut the door behind him.

“Did you have fun playing with the big boys, love?” She asked softly as they walked to the kitchen. Harry nodded and beamed up at her. From the kitchen, they could hear the shuffling of pizza boxes. Johannah warned them to save some for her and Harry. When they entered, the pepperoni pizza boxes were nearly empty but there was an unopened box of cheese pizza beneath it. Harry walked up to the table and frowned when he saw that all of the seats surrounding Louis were taken. The only empty chair was right next to Niall. Niall looked over at Harry with a mouth full of pizza and patted the chair next to him. He swallowed before speaking,

“You can sit by me, little Harry.”

Harry nodded and climbed up into the chair. He liked Niall. The boy was nice to Harry and he laughed a lot at silly things. His laugh made Harry laugh, and Harry liked that. Johannah brought Harry’s plate to the table and he began to eat just as the other boys finished. Harry frowned as they started to leave the table. He didn’t want to sit by himself. Louis noticed this and smiled at the little boy, moving to sit closer to him.

“Don’t worry, Poppet. I can stay with you until you’re all done,” Louis said as he sat next to Harry. Happily, Harry continued to eat his pizza. Once the little boy finished his dinner, it was time to settle in for the night and watch a movie. Stan, Niall, Liam, and Zayn had already changed into their pajamas, so Louis went to change into his as well. Harry sat in the living room, not having a clue where his things were. Johannah walked in and scooped him up, tickling his sides.

“Let’s go get you ready for bed, little one,” she giggled and Harry nodded, laying his head on her shoulders. He was exhausted and it was only seven o’clock in the evening. She quickly got the little boy dressed in his duckie pajamas before whisking him back to the living room where the boys were attempting to decide on a film. The boys bickered for a few moments before Louis picked up a blue VHS tape. The case had two monsters on the front. One monster was short, green and had one eye, and the other monster was tall and had blue and purple fur.

“Monsters Inc! Let’s watch this!” Louis held it up as Jay placed Harry on the sofa beside him. The boys cheered in agreement and Harry looked to Louis with wide eyes.

“Monsters? Boo, Harry doesn’t like monsters…” Harry whispered, snuggling into Louis’ side as the VHS was popped into the machine. Louis petted his hair and giggled.

“These are nice monsters, Poppet. Promise. They’re not scary,” Louis assured him. Harry frowned, pulling the fluffy blanket up to his chin. Niall, who was wearing a set of Hot Wheel pajamas, climbed up onto the sofa next to Harry. 

“Yeah, I’ve seen this movie. It’s not scary, little Harry. It’s funny,” Niall said as the previews began to roll. Harry was sandwiched between the two older boys and it was very comfy. The lounge was dim and the boys were all settled in for the night. Zayn and Liam were sharing a seat in the recliner and Stan was laid out on a pile of blankets on the rug. Harry’s eyelids drooped as they became heavier and heavier. The movie hadn’t even started before he was curling up to Louis and laying his head on his shoulder. Niall leaned over onto Harry, shimmying under the blanket that the other boys were sharing. The youngest boy was fighting sleep and wrestling to keep his eyes open as a little boy on the TV lay asleep in his own bed. 

After a long blink, Harry opened his eyes to see a scary monster with red eyes and heard the cartoon boy’s scream. He shouted out and pulled the blanket over his head, his eyes filling up with tears. Stan, Liam, and Zayn giggled a little as the boy was exposed to be a training robot, but Harry did not understand how they thought this was funny. The little boy began to cry quietly, clinging to his best friend. Louis and Niall frowned at each other. Niall peeked his head under the blanket to see a shaking Harry with tears on his cheeks.

“Little Harry, it’s okay… It’s not a real monster, okay? Are you scared?” Niall whispered, poking Harry’s shoulder. Harry looked to him with big eyes and nodded. The strawberry-blonde boy nodded a little bit and gave Harry a small smile. 

“Don’t worry. Me and Lou will protect you from any monsters. We’ll feed Liam to them instead,” Niall giggled, earning a smile from Harry. Niall’s laugh was so silly to Harry and he couldn’t help but giggle as well. Harry nodded a little and peeked out from under the blanket. Louis looked down at him and smiled, using his right hand to guide the little blonde head to rest on his shoulder. He used his sleeve to wipe the tears from his best friend’s cheek and pulled him close. Sighing softly in relief, Harry let his eyes close. He felt safe, his Boo and Niall would protect him from any scary monsters. He knew he could sleep.

By the end of the movie, all of the boys were out like a light. Niall, Louis, and Harry were cuddled together on the sofa and the rest of the boys were sprawled out on the blanket palette on the rug. Soft snores filled the room as the jazzy credit tune played softly on the TV. 

The boys slept soundly until around midnight when Harry began to stir. He sat up from the knot of cuddly boys, looking around in panic. Where was he? Where was his mumma? The little boy was nervous and confused, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Mumma?” He whispered into the dark room. The TV had been turned off hours ago and the lights were all out. Patting around him, Harry’s hand met Louis’ chest and Niall’s forehead. He looked down and saw the two boys sleeping. Carefully he poked Niall’s shoulder, earning a sleepy grunt in response. Frowning, he poked him again.

“Ni… Up…” Harry whisper-yelled. Niall continued to snore as he slept like a rock. The little boy turned to Louis and used both hands to shake him.

“Boo… Help…” Harry whimpered. Louis rolled over and opened one eye, still half-asleep.

“Poppet, what’s wrong?” He groaned sleepily.

Harry just whimpered in response, his bottom lip jutted out. Louis yawned and pulled the little boy close to his chest. He knew that snuggling with his mummy always helped him go back to sleep, so he figured it would probably help Harry. He was right. Harry curled up to him and grasped him tightly, burying his face in the crook of his neck as he took a deep breath. And with that, both boys were back to sleep.


	5. five

Winter faded and spring blossomed, finally bringing summer to the English countryside. Baby Lottie was a bit older now and was growing into a little human with a personality, which Louis loved. He was a big six-year-old who was an excellent big brother. He was also learning how to be a good best friend to little Harry. Harry had recently turned four and Louis attended his birthday party which was way tamer than his own. Harry, Gemma, Anne, Louis, Johannah, and Lottie had dinner and a small gathering with a cake. The two boys continued to grow inseparable, attached at the hip. On the last day of school, Louis could not control his excitement. There was so much to be excited about: swimming, catching fireflies, and the annual holiday he got to take with his mummy. The clock seemed to tick in slow motion as Louis sat at his desk, unable to think of anything else. Finally, the bell rang and indicated that the summer holiday had finally begun. Running from his seat to grab his rucksack, he rushed to the front entrance of the school. When he got there, he was met with Zayn, Stan, Niall, and Liam. They were all engaged in loud banter. Liam and Zayn were bickering about who could run the fastest, but Louis butted in loudly,

“I’m faster than both of you!” 

The other boys shot to look at Louis with grins on their faces. 

“You ready for summer, Tommo?” Liam said, holding both straps of his rucksack. Louis nodded wildly as he started to walk down the pavement. Since all of the boys lived on the way back from school, their mummies and daddies had recently begun letting them walk home from school together, especially with the nicer weather. Niall followed, nearly tripping over his untied laces.

“Me too. Me mum said we’re goin’ to Ireland for holiday!” He gushed. The rest of their boys shared their holiday plans and Louis frowned to himself. He had no clue where he was going on holiday. Most of the time, when it was just him and Mummy, they went to London or Spain for a week or two. This year, they hadn’t talked about their destination. Plus, Louis thought, they had baby Lottie now. He shrugged to himself as they approached Zayn’s front garden. 

“See ya later, Zed! Wanna play some footie tomorrow? Or go to the pool?” Stan called after the boy who was walking up to his front steps. Zayn nodded, grinning.

“I’ll ring you after I ask my mum,” he responded. 

The group continued to walk along their route, dropping off Stan, Liam, and Niall along the way. Eventually, Louis was on his own. He was approaching Harry’s house when he saw the little boy standing in the front garden. Ms. Anne was sitting in a folding chair, watching as her son played with a ball. Louis’ face was overtaken by a grin as he got closer. Harry was wearing a pair of denim dungarees and a yellow and white striped shirt, a yellow sun hat plopped on top of his blonde hair. He was so intently focused on his make-believe game that he didn’t notice his best friend walking his way.

“Poppet!” Louis giggled, running up to the little boy. A screeching laugh erupted from Harry as Louis scooped him into a hug. Louis squeezed him tightly and Harry giggled.

“Boo, Harry missed you!” Harry squealed as Louis released him from his grip. Louis nodded and giggled. 

“I missed you too, Poppet. But now I’m all done with school for the whole summer!” Louis said, shedding his backpack onto the green grass. The sun was shining behind the spotty clouds and the weather was warm. Birds chirping filled the air, mingling with the sing-songy laughter of the blonde toddler and his older friend. Johannah could hear them from the open windows and couldn’t help but smile softly. She would usually be a bit upset if Louis didn’t check in with her after arriving home from school, but his melodic laughter erased any hint of sternness. Today was going to be a fun day, after all. She had a big surprise for her son. Johannah and Anne had been discussing summer holiday plans and it turned out that their plots had been quite similar, so they decided to go together. After keeping such an exciting secret for a few months, the women were ready to break the news to Louis, Harry, and Gemma.

Louis was laying on his back in the grass, basking in the sunshine as Johannah walked across the pavement to meet them. Harry was laying next to Louis, squinting his green eyes to keep the sun out. The boys were giggling to themselves about a silly joke Louis had told when Jay sat next to Anne. Lottie sat in her lap with a fist in her mouth, small babbles escaping from the infant. 

“How was school, love?” Jay giggled, noting the grass stains on Louis’ khaki uniform shorts. Louis lifted his head and giggled.

“Hi, mummy… School was good. No more until Fall!” He exclaimed, using his hand to shield his eyes from the afternoon sun. Jay smiled warmly and nodded as she smoothed her daughter’s hair. Harry sat up quickly to face Johannah. His sunhat was crooked from laying on the ground and he had a smudge of dirt across his chubby cheek,

“Hi, Mumma Jay. Harry got to play outside with Boo!” Harry exclaimed, standing up from his place next to Louis. Johannah smiled and nodded, giving Anne a look to ask if they should tell the children the big news. Anne nodded slightly, reaching to adjust the littlest boy’s hat. 

“Poppet, how about you and Louis go get Gems? Mumma and Jay have something to tell you all,” Anne suggested as she attempted to hide her grin. Harry nodded dramatically and Louis raised an eyebrow as he clambered to his feet. 

“What have you got to tell us? Is it bad?” Louis furrowed his eyebrows and earned a giggle from the women sitting in front of him.

“No, Lou. Not anything bad, I promise,” Jay assured him. Louis shrugged and looked down to see that Harry had already shuffled inside to find his older sister. She was three years older than Harry, but only a year ahead of Louis in school. Gemma was sitting in front of the telly in their shared room when an out-of-breath Harry stumbled in. The two had always shared a room in the small house and were pretty close, even with a gap in age. The wooden bunk bed that they shared was wrapped with yellow fairy lights and Gemma was sat on the bottom bed, which belonged to Harry. She sat crisscrossed, still in her uniform and engrossed in the program she was watching. Harry stood in the door frame and huffed to catch his breath.

“Gemmy, mumma said to come here,” Harry said matter-of-factly, his hand on his hip. Louis walked up behind him as Gemma looked up from the telly. She raised an eyebrow at her little brother.

“What for? I’m busy,” She said, waving her hand at the boys. Louis shrugged in response.

“My mummy is here too. They said they have something to tell us. I asked if it was anything bad, but she promised it wasn’t,” Louis explained. Harry nodded in agreement. Gemma huffed and stood up from Harry’s bed, leaving the duvet crumpled and the stuffies disheveled. The baby doll that Harry slept with every night was untucked and his favorite sheep plushie was upside down. Stomping dramatically, Harry went to go fix them, making Louis giggle.

“Poppet, come on. We’ve gotta go. We can fix your bed later,” Louis said as he ran to grab Harry’s little dirty hand. Harry whined as Louis dragged him back out to the front garden. Their mums were still sitting in their patio chairs and now Gemma was sitting at Anne’s feet. Plopping down in the grass and tugging Harry along, Louis was ready to hear what they had to say. 

“Okay, so Johannah and I were talking about summer holiday ideas… We thought a lot about it, and this summer we’re going on a trip together!” Anne explained. Harry looked up at Louis with a big toothy grin, his dimples prominent. Louis smiled back and squeezed Harry’s hand.

“Cool… Where are we gonna go?” Gemma asked, looking up to Anne expectantly. Jay’s smile was slowly growing as Anne looked at her, unable to hide the excitement. 

“We’re going to Disneyland!” Jay exclaimed, earning a gasp from all of the children. Louis looked at his mummy with the widest blue eyes and shook his head.

“No way, mummy, you’re not serious…” He whispered in disbelief. Jay’s eyes filled with tears as she saw his excitement. Her children meant the world to her and seeing him so happy made her emotional. Her oldest had gone through so much with her in such a short time and she wanted to give him the world as he deserved. She nodded quickly, her smile wide.

“Yes, Boo… We’re going to Disneyland in a couple of weeks. Are you excited?” She grinned through happy tears. Excited was not a term strong enough to describe how the six-year-old felt. He jumped up and squealed as he climbed up to hug his mummy. His heart was racing and he giggled wildly, tears threatening to fall. Gemma was just as excited, jumping up and down and clapping before hugging Anne tightly. Harry stood in front of them with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. He was a bit overwhelmed, both by the news and by the other children’s reactions. The older children gushed and exploded in ecstatic squealing and tears, confusing poor little Harry. If this was good news, why were Louis and Gemma crying? Why was Mumma Jay crying, too? Should he be crying too? He thought that they were going to his Nan and Grandad’s for the summer holiday… Where was Disneyland? Would his Nan and Grandad be there? Louis looked down at Harry with the biggest smile the little boy had ever seen. Harry’s bottom lip poked out and Louis jumped down from his mummy’s chair to go to him. 

“Poppet, why are you sad?! We get to fly on an aeroplane and meet Mickey Mouse!” Louis exclaimed, hugging the shorter boy. Harry looked up at him and cocked his head.

“And Minnie?” Harry questioned, making Louis burst out laughing. He nodded and squeezed Harry tightly.

“Anyone you want, Poppet. We’ll get to stay in a hotel and swim in a pool, it’ll be so much fun! We’ll even get to go to the ocean!” Louis blabbed. This was his dream vacation and he couldn’t be any more excited. Harry nodded a little bit and smiled up at his best friend whose excitement was contagious. He felt himself get just as giddy as Louis, bouncing on his toes. 

“Harry can even see the princesses?!” Harry squealed, clasping his hands together. Louis nodded rapidly. Giggles erupted from the tiny boy and he jumped up and down in the grass. The boys laid back down in the grass as their mums went in to get started on dinner. All the children could speak about was their upcoming adventure. Louis babbled on and on about flying in an aeroplane and swimming in the big, blue ocean. Harry nodded along contently, basking in the early summer sun as a kitten would. His green eyes were closed and his thin pink lips were curved upwards in a soft smile.

The first two weeks of summer flew by before the boys’ eyes and early every day was spent together in the garden, at the playground, or in the pool. The sun had turned Harry’s skin a golden tan and Louis’ button nose was tinted pink from his light sunburn. Louis had even been busy attempting to teach Harry to swim, but the little boy still relied on his yellow duckie armbands to keep him afloat. The shallow end of the pool was deep enough for Harry. 

Before they knew it, it was finally time for their long-awaited holiday. The evening before their seven a.m. flight left, the little boys could not sleep; Harry was dying to show off his new suitcase and Louis couldn’t wait to show Harry his new Peter Pan t-shirt. Anne sat at the foot of Harry’s bed after tucking Gemma into the top bunk, sighing softly.

“Poppet, I know you’re excited, but we’ve got a long day ahead of us and you need your sleep. You’ve got to lay down and close your eyes,” She instructed as Harry crawled over to her, clutching his new Mickey Mouse plushie. He was obviously tired, his eyelids drooping as he fought his sleep.

“But, Mumma… Harry wants to go now!” Harry whined, laying his head on his mumma’s shoulder. Anne tried to hold back a giggle and rubbed his back softly which earned a yawn from the exhausted toddler. She placed him back under his light yellow covers, tucking him in tightly and hoping it would keep him in place.

“Goodnight, Poppet. I will see you before the sun wakes up, okay?” She cooed as she planted a kiss on the little boy’s forehead. He nodded once and curled up, the lights turning off and his nightlight flicking on. All of the Styles family’s bags were packed and ready to go when Anne settled on the couch with a glass of wine to mentally prepare for the stress tomorrow was sure to bring. She shot Johannah a text:

_ “Lord help us, Jay. xxx” _

Back at Louis’ house, Johannah was bustling around the house preparing for the trip. She was ticking off boxes on her mental checklist when Louis tip-toed out of the bathroom, fresh out of the tub. His washed hair dripped on his pajama top, leaving wet spots on his shoulders. Raising an eyebrow, he watched his mummy shuffle across the living room.

“Mummy, do you need help?” He asked, startling Johannah a bit. She smiled softly at her son and approached him. Scooping him into her arms, she responded.

“You are such a big boy, offering to help your mummy… No, Boo, I’ve got everything handled. Just finishing up and making sure everything is ready for tomorrow,” She explained, giving Louis a tight cuddle. “I’ve just got to make sure all of our luggage is packed and ready. Now, I think I know a little Boo who should be getting to bed…”

Louis giggled and shook his head as Johannah tickled his side. She set him down on the floor and went to the luggage that was leaning against the wall. There were three suitcases, a rucksack, and a tote bag sitting in a neat line: Johannah’s big purple suitcase, Louis’ hard-shelled suitcase that was printed with dinosaurs, and Lottie’s small pink suitcase. The rucksack with Winnie the Pooh embroidered on the front was Lottie’s nappy bag and it was stuffed with extra outfits and snacks for both of the children, just in case. Lastly was the tote bag, which served as Jay’s handbag. Jay glanced at Louis, who was sitting on the edge of the sofa.

“Boo, is your rucksack all packed?”

Louis nodded in response. His rucksack was sitting at the foot of his bed, packed full of books to read, pages to color, crayons, and a few action figures to play with on the plane. Jay nodded and took hold of Louis’ hand.

“Let’s get you up to bed and I’ll bring your rucksack downstairs, okay?” She offered before leading her son upstairs to his bedroom. The floor was clear and his bed was made, as he had been made to tidy before they left. Johannah lifted Louis into his bed and pulled the fluffy, blue duvet up to his chin. She kissed his forehead gently and smiled softly, brushing his fringe off of his forehead.

“Goodnight, Bear. I love you, sleep tight,” Jay whispered, slowly backing out of the dark bedroom.

It felt like Louis had barely blinked when he was met with the lights flicking on. He squeezed his eyes shut and grunted before prying one blue eye open. Johannah sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed Louis’ hair gently.

“Good morning, my love… Time to wake up, we’ve got to meet up with Anne, Harry, and Gemma so we can get on the aeroplane,” Jay cooed. Louis sat up slowly and nodded, struggling to get out from under the covers. He looked up at his mummy who was already nearly ready for the day; she was wearing her makeup and her hair was put up into a ponytail. He figured she must’ve woken up a while ago.

Louis climbed out of his bed and went over to his chest of drawers where his pre-picked outfit lay folded. A pair of black joggers and a light blue shirt that read ‘Never Grow Up’ above the silhouettes of Peter Pan and Wendy sat in a neat pile atop the dresser. Louis grabbed them and changed from his pajamas into his comfy travel clothes. He walked out of the bedroom to find his mummy who had just finished dressing baby Lottie and was preparing breakfast. Louis ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, climbing into his seat at the table.

The early morning was a lot more difficult next door at the Styles’ house. Gemma sat at the dining room table in front of a bowl of cereal, munching away as Anne stood in the doorway of the siblings’ bedroom. The digital clock that sat on the side table read a quarter past five, meaning she had been attempting to wake Harry for nearly fifteen minutes. 

“Harry, it’s time to wake up… No more fussing,” she huffed, scooping the toddler out of his bed. This earned a shrill whine from the sleepy boy. He clung to his mumma, refusing to open his eyes. With Harry, Anne had learned to pick her battles. He was well-behaved and rarely disobeyed, but he was a sensitive child that enjoyed his sleep. Without another word, Anne changed Harry’s clothes and toted him out to the kitchen for breakfast. She whipped him up a quick bowl of instant porridge, nestling him into her lap and feeding him while he slowly and steadily began to come alive. Halfway through his bowl, he was awake and mellow as he was every morning after he woke up. 

After breakfast, Anne sat her son down on the floor and stood to gather their bags. It was nearing six at this point, and the drive to the airport was not too long, but they were definitely pushing it on time.

“H, Gems, get your rucksacks. We’ve got to get going. We’re picking up the Tomlinson’s in ten minutes!” Anne called out from the entryway to the children who sat in the lounge. Harry waddled to her minutes later, clutching the straps of his bag. Gemma followed soon after with her tote bag full of coloring pages and books. In Harry’s tiny rucksack sat a picture book and a baby doll, along with his new Mickey plush. The children were ready to head out, and after taking a deep breath, so was Anne.

Anne’s silver mini van pulled into the Tomlinson’s driveway at ten until six in the morning. The big white front door of the house swung open, revealing a crazy-haired Louis pulling two suitcases. Johannah was directly behind him with Lottie strapped to her chest. Anne jumped out of the driver’s seat to help Jay carry out all of their luggage and Lottie’s car seat as Louis crawled into the car. He sat next to Harry’s booster seat and smiled widely at the sleepy little boy.

“Good morning, Poppet! We get to fly today!” Louis exclaimed, grinning and buckling his safety belt. Harry nodded slightly with a soft smile as he watched Jay strap Lottie’s car seat in next to Louis. 

“Baby Lottie is coming?” Harry asked quietly, leaning forward to see the baby. Louis giggled and nodded as Harry reached out to pet Lottie’s head. He sat back in his seat as they began the short drive to the airport. 


	6. six

It felt like Louis had barely blinked when he was met with the lights flicking on. He squeezed his eyes shut and grunted before prying one blue eye open. Johannah sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed Louis’ hair gently.

“Good morning, my love… Time to wake up, we’ve got to meet up with Anne, Harry, and Gemma so we can get on the aeroplane,” Jay cooed. Louis sat up slowly and nodded, struggling to get out from under the covers. He looked up at his mummy who was already nearly ready for the day; she was wearing her makeup and her hair was put up into a ponytail. He figured she must’ve woken up a while ago.

Louis climbed out of his bed and went over to his chest of drawers where his pre-picked outfit lay folded. A pair of black joggers and a light blue shirt that read ‘Never Grow Up’ above the silhouettes of Peter Pan and Wendy sat in a neat pile atop the dresser. Louis grabbed them and changed from his pajamas into his comfy travel clothes. He walked out of the bedroom to find his mummy who had just finished dressing baby Lottie and was preparing breakfast. Louis ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, climbing into his seat at the table.

Early morning was a lot more difficult next door at the Styles’ house. Gemma sat at the dining room table in front of a bowl of cereal, munching away as Anne stood in the doorway of the siblings’ bedroom. The digital clock that sat on the side table read a quarter past five, meaning she had been attempting to wake Harry for nearly fifteen minutes. 

“Harry, it’s time to wake up… No more fussing,” she huffed, scooping the toddler out of his bed. This earned a shrill whine from the sleepy boy. He clung to his mumma, refusing to open his eyes. With Harry, Anne had learned to pick her battles. He was well-behaved and rarely disobeyed, but he was a sensitive child that enjoyed his sleep. Without another word, Anne changed Harry’s clothes and toted him out to the kitchen for breakfast. She whipped him up a quick bowl of instant porridge, nestling him into her lap and feeding him while he slowly and steadily began to come alive. Halfway through his bowl, he was awake and mellow as he was every morning after he woke up. 

After breakfast, Anne sat her son down on the floor and stood to gather their bags. It was nearing six at this point, and the drive to the airport was not too long, but they were definitely pushing it on time.

“H, Gems, get your rucksacks. We’ve got to get going. We’re picking up the Tomlinson’s in ten minutes!” Anne called out from the entryway to the children who sat in the lounge. Harry waddled to her minutes later, clutching the straps of his bag. Gemma followed soon after with her tote bag full of coloring pages and books. The children were ready to head out, and after taking a deep breath, so was Anne.

Anne’s silver minivan pulled into the Tomlinson’s driveway at ten until six in the morning. The big white front door of the house swung open, revealing a crazy-haired Louis pulling two suitcases. Johannah was directly behind him with Lottie strapped to her chest. Anne jumped out of the driver’s seat to help Jay carry out all of their luggage and Lottie’s car seat as Louis crawled into the car. He sat next to Harry’s booster seat and smiled widely at the sleepy little boy.

“Good morning, Poppet! We get to fly today!” Louis exclaimed, grinning and buckling his safety belt. Harry nodded slightly with a soft smile as he watched Jay strap Lottie’s car seat in next to Louis. 

“Baby Lottie is coming?” Harry asked quietly, leaning forward to see the baby. Louis giggled and nodded as Harry reached out to pet Lottie’s head. He sat back in his seat as they began the short drive to the airport.

The car ride passed in a blink and they arrived at the airport. Harry’s green eyes were puffy and droopy from sleep as he looked up at Louis. Louis’ excitement was evident and written across his face. He grinned widely and petted Harry’s blonde hair.

“Are you ready to ride the aeroplane, Poppet?” Louis gushed as Jay and Anne started to unload the vehicle. Harry shrugged nervously, gnawing on his bottom lip. His chubby fingers fidgeted with his plush Mickey Mouse’s ear as he spoke.

“Harry scared, Boo… Aeroplanes go really high up,” Harry whimpered, bringing Mickey’s ear to his mouth to anxiously chew. Louis nodded a bit and helped him out of his car seat. He grabbed his best friend’s hand and gave it three quick squeezes. Harry returned the three squeezes as he looked up at the older boy with big, shiny green eyes.

“I’ll protect you, Harry,” Louis smiled and Harry nodded in response. The mums tugged the luggage from the boot and plopped it in front of the children. Everyone was responsible for transporting their own bags to the luggage check. Harry, who was still sleepy and a bit grumpy, threw his head back and whined shrilly as he tugged his suitcase behind him.

“Don’t wanna carry it! Too heavy!” He groaned, his bottom lip stuck out as he stomped along. Louis frowned down at him, tugging his own suitcase. Little Harry’s suitcase couldn’t be that heavy. He stopped, stopping the little boy along with him. Letting go of Harry’s hand, he took the handle of the small bag that was printed with a tiger’s face. Louis resumed walking, Harry silently following close behind.

Airport security and luggage check with four children under ten could be described in one word: hectic. Louis was thirsty, Harry needed the potty, Gemma’s shoes hurt her feet, and Lottie was ready for a bottle. Jay was ready to rip her hair out as they arrived at the gate. Louis tugged at her pants as she slumped into a chair.

“Mummy, can I please have a drink?” He pleaded as Harry bounced on his toes, squeezing his legs together tightly. Johannah was attempting to mix a bottle and fumble with Lottie and she was overwhelmed already. Quickly glancing up, she saw that there was a toilet right across from their gate. There was a water fountain right in her line of sight. She took a deep breath to attempt and gather her thoughts. 

“There’s a drinking fountain right there… Take Harry potty and you can get a drink, okay? But you have to come right back,” she instructed, motioning in that direction. Louis nodded and grabbed Harry’s hand to walk across the airport. He led the younger boy into the large bathroom where the walls were lined with cubicles. Harry waddled into the first open one and shut the door swiftly. Louis waited patiently outside listening as Harry hummed and watched his tiny feet swinging back and forth.

Harry pushed the door open and smiled, giving Louis an ‘all done’ before skipping to the sinks to wash his hands. Louis giggled and shook his head. His best friend was so silly. The two boys left the bathroom, making a pit stop for a sip at the drinking fountain before heading back to their mummies.

The next twenty minutes passed quickly and Harry became more and more anxious about the flight. Eleven hours in a small seat all the way up in the air sounded horrible and the little boy had no clue how Louis was so excited. The toddler was curled up in his mumma’s lap, resting his head on her chest to listen to her heartbeat. He whimpered when the loud voice came over a speaker,

“Now boarding flight 293 to LAX.”

Johannah stood up with a smile, taking Louis’ hand. Louis squealed with excitement as they began to walk towards the gate. He looked to Harry, who he assumed would be just as excited, but was met with teary green eyes. Anne took Harry out of her lap and set him on his feet. He scrambled to Louis and grabbed his hand tightly, his other hand clutching his Mickey Mouse. Louis gave his best friend three little squeezes to make him feel better, and he felt three weak squeezes in return.

Takeoff was rough, to say the least. A wail filled the cabin as the engines of the plane roared, Harry’s cheeks red and his eyes full of terror. Louis wrapped his arm around the scared toddler’s shoulder and pulled him closer, guiding his blonde head to his shoulder. He pet his hair and frowned. He hated to see his best friend so scared.

“Harry’s ears! Ouch!” Harry screamed, earning glares from other passengers. Louis’ small hand covered Harry’s ear gently and he shushed him.

“Poppet, don’t cry… It’s okay, I promise. Let’s cuddle under my blankie and go back to sleep. I think you’re sleepy,” Louis whispered and it was barely audible over Harry’s screeches. A fleece blanket from Louis’ backpack spread over them and Harry’s screams slowly faded into sniffles as the boys snuggled up, focusing on the small screen on the seatback, which was playing Beauty and the Beast. Harry’s eyelids were heavy, threatening to close as the plane reached its full altitude. The clouds surrounded them and Louis stared out of the window in awe. It was just like he imagined it; he was up with the birds. The movie lost any interest and he spent a good few hours with his eyes on the sunrise from above the clouds. A soft snore from Harry lulled Louis to sleep as well, Belle singing in the background.

The rest of the flight went relatively well with minimal tears from Harry and Lottie. With only an hour left, Gemma kept herself occupied with a chapter book and Louis practiced his handwriting in a notebook as Harry watched intensely.

“Boo writes pretty… Harry try?” Harry asked sweetly, his short fingers reaching to snatch the pencil from Louis’ hand. Louis giggled and handed it to him. The younger boy gripped the pencil in his fist and scribbled across the page. It looked like a jumble of lines and dots, but Harry lifted the graphite from the paper with a huge grin.

“My name!” He exclaimed proudly. Louis furrowed his brow as he attempted to read the so-called writing. 

“Where?” Louis asked. Harry pouted and used the rubber end of the pencil to point.

“See? Harry,” Harry spouted in a matter-of-fact tone. Louis shook his head and giggled.

“No, Poppet… That’s just a big scribble. Do you know how to spell your name?”

Harry nodded and cleared his throat before confidently reciting, “H. A. R. Y.” Louis shook his head and giggled as he took the pencil once more. Steadying his hand, he wrote ‘Harry’ in his squiggly handwriting. Harry studied the writing and nodded.

“Harry try again,” he said, determined. When Louis handed him back the pencil, he attempted to copy Louis’ letters. His tiny tongue poked out in concentration, Louis’ hand guiding his. He pulled the pencil away and grinned once more. A big, sloppy word took up half the page.

‘hArrY’

Harry clapped and squealed, his body vibrating with excited giggles. He was too young for school and would be starting in the fall, so this was his first time properly writing his name. Louis proudly clapped as well, giving the little boy a hug.

“You did it, Poppet!” Louis praised him. The blonde toddler crossed his arms contentedly, beaming with pride as the pilot’s booming voice came over the PA system. Louis and Harry glanced out of the window to see the bright sun and palm trees.

“We have now landed in sunny California! Local time is half-past ten a.m, thank you for flying with us,” The voice exclaimed animatedly, earning cheers from the children. Anne and Jay mentally prepared for the chaos of corralling the children into the hotel rooms for lunch. As the plane lurched to a stop, Harry tugged at his seatbelt and whined. His legs hurt and he was hungry and he wanted to go swimming like Louis said they would. Louis reached to unbuckle him and giggled.

“Hold your horsies, Harry… Mummy has to get our stuff ready to leave anyway,” Louis soothed, Harry looking a little confused. He didn’t have any horsies. He shook his head a little as he moved past the statement and stuffed his Mickey plushie into his small backpack. Their seats were near the back of the plane, so they waited as patiently as possible for the rest of the passengers to exit the plane, the children babbling about the hotel pool the whole time.

It took nearly an hour to claim their baggage, find their rental car, and make their way to the hotel. When they pulled into the parking lot, the children gasped at the sight. The large gray building was built to resemble a castle and was covered in Disney-themed flags and banners. It was one of those gimmicky tourist traps, but you would have thought it was Cinderella’s castle from the reaction of the young boys in the back seat.

A shriek burst from the bouncing toddler. He pointed out of the car window at a flag that depicted Flounder from The Little Mermaid. Louis stared in awe as Johannah turned in her seat.

“What do you think, Louis, baby?” She asked expectantly, her smile wide. Louis looked at her with his shiny blue eyes and grinned. His small hands were clasped at his chin and he nodded wildly.

“I love it, mummy!”

The mums loaded a luggage rack with all of their bags after checking into the hotel. They roped Gemma, Harry, and Louis into the elevator, the boys bickering over who could press the buttons. Coming to a compromise, they both pushed the 10 button at the same time. Their rooms were adjoining with a door connecting them with a small hallway, designed with a kids’ room and an adult room. Johannah whipped out her key card and opened the door. Louis and Harry barreled past her and into the room. The bigger room, which had two king-sized beds, was painted a light blue color and decorated with gold, antique accenting. The adult suite was obviously Cinderella themed. In the hallway, Anne pulled open the door to the kids’ room.

Blue walls covered in painted bubbles and fish surrounded them, a large Ariel mural on the wall with the TV. A bunk bed was nestled in one corner and a single bed in the other, all with Little Mermaid themed bedding. Harry squealed and jumped up and down. His tiny hands clapped together in pure joy as he examined their room. Gemma sprinted to the single bed and shouted ‘dibs’ as she jumped under the covers. Louis looked to Harry and smiled. They could share a bunk, no problem. He looked up the tall ladder and frowned.

“Poppet, I’ll sleep in the top bunk because I’m a big boy, okay? That’s too tall for you, you’ll fall down,” Louis explained as if it were common sense. Harry shrugged and nodded. He didn’t care all too much because he was used to sleeping in the bottom bunk at home. The younger boy sat crisscrossed on the bed, unzipping his tiny backpack and dumping out the “essentials” he had packed.

The so-called necessities included his beloved baby doll, his favorite sheep stuffy, and his yellow blanket, along with a few stolen sweets from his kitchen. He unwrapped and began happily munching on a granola bar. Louis peered down over the ledge of the top bunk and giggled.

“What are you eating? Where did you get that?” Louis asked, his tummy grumbling. Harry shrugged and mumbled with his mouth full of oats and chocolate chips. His stubby arm reached up with the half-eaten snack in his hand.

“Boo want a bite?”

Louis nodded and grabbed it to take a nibble. Harry continued munching and waddled to the waste bin next to the big chest of drawers to toss the wrapper. As he did that, Anne toted in Louis and Harry’s suitcases. 

“Boys, Gems, it’s lunchtime. What are you hungry for?” Anne asked, placing the bags next to the dresser. She looked down at Harry who had chocolate in the corners of his mouth. Mumma laughed and scooped him up, poking her fingers into his side.

“Somebody has already been snacking, hm? Where did the little Poppet get sweets?” Anne joked as she tickled Harry, earning wild snickers from the four-year-old. He would never give up his secret stash, not even with hours of tickling. Louis giggled and flopped backward on the mattress.

“Mumma, can we eat McDonald's?” Gemma asked as she climbed out of bed, her brown hair tangled and frizzy from the eleven-hour flight. Anne nodded, letting Harry out of her arms.

“I think that can be arranged.”

After a lunch consisting of Happy Meals and a little too much sugar, Johannah and Anne were exhausted. On the other hand, the kids were full of energy. Jay bounced a sleeping Lottie in her arms, speaking softly to the boys who were wrestling on the carpet.

“Boys, how about you put your swimsuits on and we go down to the pool?” She suggested in a soft voice. Both boys’ heads shot up in attention. She knew that it would tucker them out and if they would go down for a nap, so could she. Harry’s blonde hair was sticking straight up and Louis’ cheeks were red as he attempted to catch his breath. The older boy flew to his feet, dragging little Harry behind him. Harry huffed and tried to regain his balance as Louis squealed, 

“I’ll race you to our room!”

Harry didn’t even have time to process the challenge before Louis began to run. The little boy whined and started to run after him, but Louis was in the room before Harry could even get moving. When the toddler entered the bedroom, he collapsed to his bum on the carpet and threw his head back with a shrill wail.

“No fair!” Harry started to sob, big old crocodile tears streaming down his cheeks. Louis stopped digging through his suitcase and froze in place. He frowned; he didn’t mean to make Harry cry. Slowly he walked over to the place on the carpet where Harry was now lying and blubbering. 

“Poppet, I’m sorry… Why are you crying?” Louis asked warily as he sat down crisscrossed next to the teary mess that was Harry. Harry choked on wails and sat up to look at Louis, violently rubbing his eyes with his fists.

“No fair! Boo, that’s mean!” Harry sobbed. His bottom lip wobbled and he had a stream of snot flowing from his nose. Louis thought that was yucky, but he didn’t say anything.

“I didn’t mean to be mean, Poppet… I was just playin’... Do you need a hug?” Louis asked softly, holding his arms out. The little boy was obviously needing a nap, leading to the huge upset over a tiny race. Harry jutted out his pink bottom lip as another big tear slipped slowly down his cheek, nodding shyly and crawling into Louis’ lap. The tiny toddler’s stubby arms snaked around his best friend’s neck and he lay his head on the older boy’s shoulder. He sniffled and used the sleeve of his jumper to wipe his runny nose, his sobs reducing to sniveling soon after.

Louis rubbed the little boy’s back and hummed softly in attempt to calm him. Harry sucked his thumb and snuggled even closer, his eyelids heavy and his breathing steady. Silently, Louis stood and carried the little boy to his bottom bunk bed. He gently placed the toddler in the bed and crawled in next to him.

“I’m sorry I made you sad, Harry… Are you still gonna be my best friend?” Louis whispered shyly. Without hesitation, Harry nodded sleepily and looked up to Louis with his thumb still in his mouth. Louis couldn’t help but smile down at him.

“Good, because I’m still gonna be yours,” he whispered, kissing the top of the little boy’s head. 

In the other room, Jay and Anne shared glances once they heard the wailing followed by silence coming from the kids' room. Anne gave Jay a reassuring smile as Gemma exited the bathroom in her bathing suit.

“I’ll go check on the boys, Jay… You get that baby fed,” Anne soothed, slipping across the hallway. She walked into the room silently to find a sleeping Harry curled up to Louis’ who was nodding off himself. Pulling her phone out, Anne snapped a few pictures before tucking the boys in.

She re-entered the room where Jay sat nursing Lottie and Gemma was watching TV from her mumma’s bed. Jay looked up expectantly and was met with a relieved smile. 

“You can stay in for a nap, Johannah. The boys are sleeping, no need to tire them out at the pool. I’ll take Gems,” Anne giggled, Johannah sighing in relief. The little boys needed as much rest as they could get, especially since they were supposed to spend the entire next day in the Disneyland park. 

Gemma and Anne headed down to the pool, leaving the rest of the crew to take a well-earned nap. An hour and a half later, a little blonde-haired boy began to stir. Harry sat up slightly and opened his green-eyes to see his best friend still fast asleep. Humming and pushing his hair out of his eyes, he climbed out of the bed and stood on his tippy-toes to tuck the blankets back around Louis. He placed a soft kiss on his cheek, just like his Mumma usually did for him, and followed the sound of the TV to Johannah and Anne’s room.

Jay looked up from her phone to see a small boy in the doorway. She smiled warmly and set the device down next to her. 

“Hi, Harry. Did you nap well?” Jay asked as the toddler approached the bed. He nodded wordlessly and peered over the side of the travel bassinet at the sleeping Lottie. Jay giggled, “The baby is still asleep, honey. Is Lou still napping?”

Harry nodded again and yawned. His hair was sticking up in the back and his trackie set was crinkled from sleep. On his tippy toes, he attempted to crawl into the bed where Jay was under the covers. She smiled at him and helped him into the bed, making room for him underneath the duvet. He curled up to her side and yawned once more as the adjoining door creaked open a bit further, exposing a ruffled-up Louis.

“Hello, sunshine… How’d you sleep?” Jay giggled, earning a grunt from her son. He stumbled over and climbed into the bed to join the cuddle puddle. Harry hummed in content as he was sandwiched between Mumma Jay and Louis, his heavy eyes drooping once more as he tried his best to focus on the blurring screen of the TV.


	7. seven

The only light in the ocean-themed hotel room was a small sea-shell-shaped night light as a sleepy Harry stirred in his bed. He was tired but couldn’t sleep, the excitement buzzing through his tiny body like electricity. Looking across the room at his sister’s sleeping form, he debated on going to wake her up, but quickly realized that it was a bad idea. It would probably earn him a swat and he wasn’t willing to risk it. He could go wake up the mummies in the other room, he thought, but he knew that he would just be sent back to bed. The only choice left was Louis. How would he get up to the top bunk? The ladder, of course! But, Harry wasn’t a very strong little boy and the bed was tall. He whimpered and climbed out from under the covers, clutching his yellow blankie and his stuffed lamb to his chest as he waddled around to the ladder.

Staring up at the tall structure worried Harry. What if he tried to climb it and fell down? What if he got stuck halfway up? The ladder had to be a billion meters tall, Harry thought to himself. Taking a deep breath and clinging to his comfort items, the little boy placed a hand on the rungs to begin his climb. The bed shook with the movement as Harry’s socked foot met the wooden slat. Louis rolled over with a grunt as the bed shook once again. By the time Harry was fully on the ladder and off of the floor, Louis was awake and upright, wrapped in his duvet. The older boy crawled across the single bed to peer over the edge.

“Harry?! What are you doing?!” Louis whisper-yelled at the climbing toddler. He was met with two wide, green, guilty eyes. The little boy looked startled at his best friend’s tone.

“Harry thought Boo was as’eep…” Harry whimpered. His face looked a little frantic as he stood with his feet planted on the middle rung. Louis panted and clutched his chest. Harry had definitely given him a spook. 

The tiny boy’s bottom lip wobbled and tears threatened to fall as his face faded into a more frantic expression. He glanced behind him and saw how high off of the carpet he was, making him whimper out loud.

“Scary…”

Louis sighed and leaned over the rail with his arm outstretched. This was exactly why Louis had claimed the top bunk in the first place. He sighed sleepily, his eyes puffy and barely open as he squinted at the boy below him. Harry reached a shaky hand that still held his stuffy and blankie out to meet Louis’. Without a second thought, Louis hoisted up the little boy which earned a small squeak from him. Harry landed with a soft thud on the end of the mattress and glared at Louis, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Not nice,” he huffed. Louis shook his head and lay back down, leaving room next to him for Harry. 

“Neither was waking me up, but you did it anyways,” Louis retorted and pulled the duvet up to his chin with a yawn. “Why are you awake? It’s prob’bly two o’clock in the mornin’.”

Harry shrugged and crawled into the space beside Louis. He weaseled his way under the duvet and lay his head on the pillow, their heads touching. Harry was only four, he had no concept of personal space. Louis giggled a little as he felt tiny feet sliding under his shirt.

“What are you doin’?” Louis asked, turning his head and peeking at the blonde in front of him.

“Feets are cold…” Harry giggled and hugged his lamb, chewing on its soft ear. Louis nodded and tucked the duvet around Harry.

“Okay, fine… Go back to sleep, Poppet.”

Harry shook his head.

“Can’t s’eep, Boo…”

Louis rolled over, frowned and reached up to pet the little boy’s crazy hair. Harry leaned into the touch. The boys were laying on their sides and facing each other, their foreheads touching. 

“How come? Did you have a nightmare? Do you feel poorly?” Louis questioned, his hand gently stroking the silky hair on the top of his best friend’s hair. Harry shook his head as his eyelids drooped. Louis could tell he was actively fighting his sleep and smiled softly to himself. A gentle finger reached out and delicately traced the slope of Harry’s tiny button nose. His green eyes flickered open at the touch, crossing as he attempted to look at the tip of his nose. Louis’ feather-soft touch hypnotized the little boy as he continued to stroke the smooth skin of his nose bridge, ending each touch with a gentle tap. The small, round green eyes of the younger boy slowly closed once again with a soft hum. Louis smiled and pressed a kiss to the boy’s forehead, continuing the soothing motion as he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning came soon enough and the warm California sunshine beamed through the big glass window. the blue curtains tinting the light. A soft chatter came from the other room as Louis’ blue eyes struggled to open. He heard his mummy’s voice mingling with Anne’s and the TV and he blinked the bleary sleep from his eyes. Next to him, a soft snore could be heard from the open-mouthed toddler who had taken over his bed. A smile spread across Louis’ face at the sight of the little boy. He was definitely not a gentle sleeper. Harry’s jammie shirt was crumpled and raised up to show his chubby tummy and belly button. His feet were still tucked under Louis’ shirt but one was now missing a sock, which had disappeared into an abyss of linen, and his arms were flung out like a starfish with one over Louis and the other peeking through the railing of the bed. Louis smiled at the peaceful boy before moving his arm off of him gently. He tucked a stray hair behind Harry’s ear and used his fingers to gently pinch his rosy, chubby cheek.

“Poppet… Wake up, the sun is awake…”

No response aside from a huffy exhale.

“C’mon, Haz… Hotel breakfast will have free waffles and they’re huge!”

Sleeping beauty’s mouth quickly closed and one emerald green eye creaked open.

“A waffle?”

Louis giggled and nodded, poking the dimple that appeared on the chubby cheek closest to him. Harry smiled sleepily and sat up in bed. Curling his tiny hands into fists, he stretched his arms out and giggled as they touched the ceiling. He looked at Louis with puffy eyes and grinned, his dimples extremely prominent. Louis sat up as well.

“Harry big. Harry touched the roof!” He giggled wildly. Louis nodded and smiled. He thought it was adorable when Harry talked in the third person. It was silly, he thought, but he loved it. It reminded him of how little his neighbor really was. He was Louis’ little baby, and he was the big boy, so he got to take care of him, just like he did Lottie. It was his job to protect his little baby Poppet, and he loved it.

“Yeah, Haz, good boy! But it’s time to get down, okay? Do you think you can climb the ladder?” Louis asked, petting Harry’s hair. Harry shrugged and yawned as he crawled into Louis’ lap. He was still sleepy, and he was known for being incredibly clingy when he was sleepy. Wrapping both arms around the little boy, Louis nodded and leaned his cheek on the top of his blonde head. Gemma had just awoken and looked up from her bed. She giggled a little and sat to rub her eyes.

“How did Harry get up there? He could never even get into my bed at home!” She laughed as she pulled back the duvet. Her legs swung out of the bed and her feet slipped into a pair of bunny slippers. Louis shrugged and gave Harry a tight cuddle before speaking.

“Dunno. Woke up in the middle of the night and he was halfway up. I had to pull him up all the way,” Louis said matter-of-factly. Gemma nodded as if the explanation was enough before she walked out to find Anne.

Anne was changing Lottie on a mat that was laid out across one of the beds and Jay was applying mascara as Gemma entered. Gemma smiled widely at her mum in excitement. Smiling softly, Anne greeted her daughter.

“Good morning, Gems… Did you sleep well?” Anne asked, securing the tape on Lottie’s clean nappie. Gemma nodded wordlessly as she climbed into the empty bed with her eyes glued to the television mounted on the wall. Anne smiled and did the snaps on baby Lottie’s onesie before placing her back in the cot. “Are the boys still asleep?”

Gemma shook her head and mumbled with her hands at her mouth, her attention focused on the telly.

“They’re having a cuddle in Lou’s bed,” she added. The brown-haired woman nodded and stood to go get the boys out of bed for breakfast. She gently nudged the door open with a soft creak, attempting to keep her steps silent. In the top bunk, Louis was leaned against the wall with Harry still curled in his lap. The younger boy was more awake now, his green eyes open and exploring the room, but he continued to bask in the attention and affection he was getting from Louis. Anne smiled and cleared her throat softly.

“Good morning, monkeys… How did this little one make it up to the top bunk?”

Louis only giggled and shrugged as Harry’s eyes lit up at the sight of his mumma. He sat up and stretched out his arms for her. Quickly, she scooped him up and gave him a squeeze, cooing gently at her little boy. Louis smiled and his heart panged as he watched. He wanted a cuddle from his mummy too, but he was getting to be too big for the coddling that Harry received. He sighed a little and climbed down from the bed. Sometimes he missed being his mummy’s baby but he tried his hardest to understand that Lottie needed his mummy’s attention the same way he did when he was just a little one. Anne toted the clingy toddler to the next room as Louis followed, dragging his feet as he walked up behind where Jay was standing in front of the bathroom mirror. He quickly wrapped his arms around her legs and buried his face in the fabric of her shorts. Taken by surprise, she reached down to touch his hair. She giggled and looked down at the boy.

“Hi, Boo… What’s with the big hug?” She giggled, patting his head. Louis shrugged and mumbled into her leg.

“Just wanted a mummy cuddle,” He said, his words muddled by the fabric in his face. Johannah smiled warmly and nodded. She scooped him up swiftly and littered his face with kisses. Her heart swelled at the words. Usually, Louis was insistent on acting grown-up, on being a big boy. Big boys didn’t ask for mummy cuddles, not as often as the young boy once had, and it had been ages since he did. She gave him a gentle squish and smiled at him. Her eyes crinkled at the corners, just like Louis’ did. He returned the expression and lay his head on her shoulder.

“Of course, Bear. You can always have mummy cuddles, even when you’re all grown up and mummy is just a little old lady,” She whispered into his hair, making Louis smile. He nodded once as she set him down on his feet once more. He stretched slightly and turned to see Harry, who was being led back into the kids’ bedroom by Anne. Louis hurried over to him and smiled, even though the little boy was frowning.

“Hi, Haz… Where ya goin’?” Louis asked.

“Bathtime,” Harry huffed, basically being dragged into the bedroom by his arm. Louis giggled and nodded. There was a huge jacuzzi tub with jets in the kids’ bathroom, as well as a glass shower in the mums’ room, so shower time for the children could be quickly handled. Anne let go of Harry’s hand to pick out Gemma’s outfit and within seconds, the little boy attempted to make a run for it. Louis stuck his arm out and grabbed the back of his jammie shirt, catching him just in time. Harry whined and crossed his arms but Louis only giggled. 

Anne got Gemma situated in the big shower as Jay started the tap in the jacuzzi tub. Harry watched with big eyes and hid behind Louis, the rushing of running water filling the room. Louis giggled and went to his suitcase to pick his own clothes as Jay scooped up the toddler to get him undressed and in the tub.

The little boy was like a wet bar of soap, slippery and hard to hold onto as Jay stripped him out of his yellow duckie pajama set. He slithered and wiggled his way out of her arms before sprinting out of the bathroom in just a pair of Lion King underpants. He squealed victoriously as he zoomed past Louis, who was clutching his outfit in his hands. Louis laughed wildly at the sight and dropped his clothes to chase the four-year-old. 

“Haz, come back here!” Louis shouted, his voice full of giggles and panting breaths. Harry screeched and shook his head wildly as he stuck his tongue out at his best friend. Louis laughed as he managed to back the boy into a corner of the room. The little boy screamed in laughter and Louis scooped him up into his arms. Harry panted and collapsed into a mess of giggles as Louis brought him back to the bathroom, where the tub was now full. His eyes lit up at the mountain of bubbles in the large tub. Harry’s laughs faded when he saw the bubbles, his eyes wide.

“Woah…” He whispered. Louis sat him down on the tile and giggled.

“No more running away, huh?”

Harry nodded wildly and tried to climb over the side of the tub, still in his underwear. Jay laughed and helped him take them off before climbing into the bubbly jacuzzi. Anne walked in and giggled at Jay.

“Bubbles, good plan. Otherwise, we would’ve had to hold him down.”

Louis stepped out of his pajamas and climbed into the tub as well, the bubbles surrounding him. He felt like they were nearly taller than him, which wasn’t that far off. The piles of soap bubbles reached up to his shoulders and he could hear them sizzling and popping in his ear. Harry splashed and giggled as Johannah lathered his hair with green apple scented shampoo, his blonde hair spiked straight up and a beard of bubbles sat on his chin. Louis washed himself with a washcloth and hummed as Johannah finished washing the toddler first. A nice warm bath after a long day of traveling and settling in felt wonderful and with all of the suds, it was a great deal of fun. Watching as Harry played with a small hotel shampoo bottle like it was a boat, Louis couldn’t help but smile. They hadn’t even gone anywhere fun yet, but this was already the best holiday ever.

After everyone was scrubbed clean and stuffed full of Mickey-shaped hotel waffles, the time had finally come. It was finally time to go to Disneyland. Harry bounced in his carseat the entire drive and Louis was just as excited, his heart pounding as they pulled into the large, crowded car park. There were cars everywhere, lines and lines of strangers waiting to get inside. The sun was beating down on the black asphalt and everyone looked hot and sweaty. That worried Louis a little, but he swallowed his thoughts as the car rolled to a stop.

Unloading the car, Jay put baby Lottie in her pram and helped Harry out of the vehicle. Louis followed suit and stood next to him, clutching his hand tightly. He knew Harry was excited and knew that Harry was a runner, so he held on for dear life. As Gemma was the last to pile out, Anne crouched down in front of them with a stern look on her face.

“Sweets, there are a lot of people here, so you must stay with mumma or Jay at all times. This is serious, and if you don’t listen, you could get lost. Harry, you don’t wander, you don’t run, you don’t go anywhere by yourself. You hold someone’s hand at all times, no exceptions. Do you hear mumma?” Her spiel was mostly directed towards all of the children, but her eyes stayed trained on Harry. Harry nodded wildly and tightly gripped Louis’ hand. Louis squeezed it back and smiled; he loved that it was his responsibility to keep his eyes on little Harry. Gemma nodded in agreement and held the side of Lottie’s pram as they waited in the long line.

By the time they reached the front of the line, Louis was sweaty and thirsty and he was tired of standing already. Harry hadn’t stopped blabbering about Disney princesses and he hadn’t stood still for more than five seconds. As soon as they walked through the front gates, it was all worth it. The towering castle glimmered in the hot sunshine and Louis and Harry paused in awe. Their heads turned to each other and their eyes met, full of wonder and excitement. Giggles erupted from the boys and Harry pointed at the castle as Anne took what felt like a million photos. Both of the mums had albums on their phones full of photos of the boys, knowing that down the line these photos would be important to both of them.

The families’ first stop was a stand selling cold bottled water. They didn’t realize how hot it was going to be that morning, but a little bit of sweat didn’t hold back the kids. The park was massive, full of strangers, characters, and things to look at. It was obviously designed to overstimulate a child and take a parent’s money. They all walked down the hot asphalt, Harry’s eyes the size of dinner plates as he spotted a blonde woman in a pink dress with a gold tiara sat atop her head.

“Aurora!” Harry screamed, pointing in her direction. The sound caught the princess’ attention and she turned to face the sound. She smiled widely and politely waved, gracefully floating towards the little boy. His face turned bright pink as he gripped Louis’ hand tighter. When she met the little boy, she squatted down to his level. With a bright white smile, she took his free hand.

“Hello there, little one! So magical to meet you!” She cooed, Harry staring at her with a bright smile.

“Hi, Princess… Harry…” Harry whispered, pointing to his own chest. The blonde princess smiled softly and nodded, noticing the little boy’s accent. She giggled.

“Did you travel a long way to get here, Harry?” She asked, pushing a hair behind Harry’s ear. Harry nodded wildly and shyly hid behind Louis. Louis placed a hand on his back and encouraged him to speak.

“In an aeroplane… We flew a whole day!” Harry explained timidly as Louis nodded.

“Are you having fun so far?” She asked and Harry nodded wildly as Anne laughed and shuffled the children forward for a picture. As they huddled around Aurora, she reached into her dress and pulled out a plastic tiara. She placed it on Harry’s head gently and he gasped, crossing his eyes to look up at the magical gift. He squealed giddily and clapped as Anne snapped a few photos. The boys thanked Aurora before she left to speak with another group of little girls. Harry looked as if he could scream as they continued their magical day. 

Attractions and rides took up hours of their time and by early evening, everyone was starting to get tired. Louis, Harry, and Gemma donned hats with Mickey Mouse ears and their names embroidered across the backs as they sat on a bench. Harry was getting grumpy as he hadn’t had a nap and all he wanted was an ice cream. He threw his head back and whined as he kicked his dangling legs.

“Ice cream! Now!” Harry shouted, earning a stern look from his mumma. She pointed at him and he instantly quieted down. Jay looked overwhelmed as she attempted to nurse Lottie under a blanket, hot and tired. Gemma was chugging a soda that she bought with her piggy-bank savings, and Louis was worried about his mummy. 

“Are you okay, mummy? Do you need me to help?” Louis asked, still holding Harry’s hand. It was his responsibility and he was not going to let go. Jay smiled weakly at her son and shook her head, reaching to pat his sweaty back.

“Boo, you are such a good boy… Mummy is fine, just tired. We’re heading back to the hotel soon, I think we all need dinner and some rest,” Jay said and Louis nodded. Harry’s heart looked crushed at the mention of leaving, but he nodded and leaned into Louis’ side. The mums stood from the bench and Louis scooped Harry up. The little boy was obviously exhausted. He had a lot of fun, riding rides and enjoying the shows, but it was time for it to be all done. He had met his favorite princesses and gotten pictures with all of them, and even without his ice cream, he felt as if it was a perfect Disney day. As Louis carried Harry towards the exit, he heard a soft sigh of a sleepy boy, drifting off with his head on his shoulder. Louis smiled. This day truly was the most magical one yet.


End file.
